Runaway Lullaby
by lostworldlady
Summary: Part one of what could have happened after Aeryn flees in her Prowler at the end of Season 3.


Runaway Lullaby  
  
Disclaimer: Farscape is copyrighted to the Jim Henson Company and I'm only  
borrowing them for awhile so that we can all party. This story is an original creation of my own twisted mind, and it takes place immediately  
after Season 3's final episode.  
  
Previously on Farscape: Scenes flash by of Aeryn and Crichton during all the happy moments they have spent together. The last scene in Crichton's memory is of Aeryn crying as she gets into her Prowler. "Then, don't make me say good-bye and don't make me stay," is heard faintly and then louder  
as the camera stops on Crichton sitting alone in space.  
  
And now on Farscape.  
  
Aeryn sat in cold space in her Prowler simply staring at the control panel. She had no idea how long she been flying for, but she had finally gotten tired of staring at the distant stars instead of getting closer to them, so she had stopped in dead space. She had left. Left them all and now she was alone. Silent tears streamed down her face as she cried. Finally she wiped her face and sighed. "Well Sun, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into isn't it?" She chuckled mirthlessly. "What am I supposed to do now?" Her thoughts went back to Crichton; his dopey smile, his stupid ideas, his strong embrace. She began to cry again softly. When she finally stopped crying, Aeryn came to a decision. She would go back and talk to Crichton. It was difficult, yes, especially after he had died in her arms, but she couldn't abandon him either. Especially not now. Once flying back in the direction that she had come from, Aeryn began to rethink her decision. They had given up, now they should move on. Sighing in frustration, Aeryn turned her Prowler's charts on and they soon located a remote planet nearby. Steering the ship towards the planet, she hoped that she would be able to find some peace there. Once down on the planet, Aeryn sought out a place to stay. She had stowed her Prowler in a nearby hangar. After what seemed like arns of searching for a suitable place to stay, Aeryn located a very small inn that she decided was best. She approached the innkeeper, who was an old and battle worn female Luxan. "I would like a room." She asked. "For how long?" The Luxan replied. Pausing in her reply, Aeryn had to stifle a gasp as the muscles in her abdomen cramped painfully. "For as long as I need it." She finally managed to get out. The Luxan nodded, "Very well, follow me." She sounded bored, but she led the way to a staircase that would lead to other levels of the inn. "Take these to the third floor. Your room is at the end on the left." The innkeeper handed Aeryn a room key and went back to the main counter. Aeryn slowly began to climb the stairs as the pain in her stomach continued to grow. She had finally managed to get to the first floor landing when she again gasped in pain as she clutched at her belly. She felt herself wobbling dangerously and cried out in panic as blackness greeted her.  
  
Almost as soon as Aeryn had fled, John had jumped into his module and had gone after her. He had kept a safe distance between them so that she wouldn't suspect that she was being followed. He had almost lost her, when his control panel had started whirring as it located her Prowler descending to a nearby planet. Once he had parked his pod for a hefty fee, he had again followed her, once again at a safe distance. Crichton watched as Aeryn had approached a Luxan female who ran the small inn where he knew she was planning to stay. He had longed to run to her side when she had so clearly gasped in pain. Knowing that he had to keep his distance and give her the privacy she craved, Crichton had ducked into a local bar to grab a quick drink and to gain the courage to approach Aeryn.  
  
Aeryn opened her eyes slowly and was greeted by bright white lights shining down on her. She tried to sit up and realized that she was restrained as she lay on a table. She also noticed that there were others nearby conversing in hushed tones. "Lie still" A female voice said gently. It was the Luxan innkeeper that she had met earlier. Aeryn did as she was told and closed her eyes again, "Where am I? And what happened?" She realized that her voice croaked from disuse. "You are in the local infirmary because you fainted." The Luxan answered. "What's wrong with me?" She asked even though she already had an idea why she was there. "You have been examined and we've discovered that you're pregnant." The Luxan said quietly. Aeryn gave a derisive snort, "I know." The Luxan rolled her eyes, "And being a Sebacean Peacekeeper, the fetus is in stasis." Aeryn nodded weakly. "However, the fetus is no longer in its stasis." The Luxan continued. Aeryn's eyebrows furrowed, "Nothing but medical surgery can release a Sebacean fetus from stasis. How is that possible?" The Luxan shrugged, "We aren't quite sure. The fetus appears to be only half Sebacean. We do not have the other species that completes it in our database files. We've never seen a hybrid like this before." Aeryn gasped, but not from pain this time. She was at a total loss for words as the information sunk into her brain. That meant that only one man could be the father of this child. She had thought this from the beginning but had never looked into it to find out if it was true or not. John Crichton. He was obviously the baby's father. Because he was human, a rare species in this part of the universe, his DNA would not have been in their medical files. "Are you in pain?" The Luxan asked her, alarmed at her gasp. "No, but I know why you cannot identify the species of the other parent." Aeryn paused before continuing, "My child is half Sebacean and half Human." The medical assistants and the Luxan stared at her blankly. Aeryn spoke aloud her next thoughts even though she was only trying to sort them out in her own mind. "Crichton once told me that Human females had pregnancies that lasted nine mon.mon.months" She still had trouble formulating some of Crichton's Earth words. "And since Peacekeeper pregnancies are locked in stasis until they're surgically released, the combination of Sebacean and Human DNA must have caused the fetus to break its own stasis." She smiled as the cause of her current condition was explained. Suddenly she was uncomfortably aware that the people around her were gathering closer to her tabletop. She shifted nervously. "That's all we needed to know." The Luxan no longer looked friendly as she brandished a nasty looking needle. Without a moment's hesitation, she plunged it into Aeryn's arm as she screamed in pain.  
  
Once done with his drink, Crichton left the bar and headed towards where he had last seen Aeryn. He caught a glimpse of her dark hair as she slowly climbed the stairs in the inn. He almost cried out in horror as she doubled over in pain and then fell down the stairs. He had tried pushing his way through the gathering crowd, but it had been in vain. A Luxan female, who was clearly the local innkeeper, grabbed Aeryn and disappeared out a side door. Running after them, Crichton already had Winona out as the Luxan vanished behind a heavy looking door. As quietly as he could, Crichton slipped in behind them and watched as the Luxan placed Aeryn on what looked like an operating table and strapped her down. He watched as the unconscious Aeryn was injected with a weird looking green liquid that seemed to bring her back to consciousness. Crichton almost shouted for joy as she began to speak to the Luxan. Witnessing the entire conversation, he was thrilled to learn that he was the unborn child's father. He was just about to stride forward and thank Aeryn's rescuers when the Luxan menaced Aeryn with another needle. When Aeryn screamed in pain, he could bear it no longer. He stepped forward with Winona raised and trained on the Luxan. When she heard him step up behind her, the Luxan turned around slowly with a false smile planted on her face. "Put your hands where I can see 'em." Crichton returned her false smile with a broad grin of his own. He was about to reach for her hands to tie them when she unexpectedly whipped out a knife. She was attempting to stab him with it when Crichton pulled Winona's trigger and she fell to the floor dead. The other medical assistants froze where they were and stared wide- eyed at Crichton. He turned to them, "I'm taking her with me and if any of you have a problem with that you can join your friend on the floor." They all shook their heads and moved towards the back door of the infirmary. He holstered his pulse pistol and went over to the table where Aeryn lay. She was unconscious again and her breathing was faint. He picked her up in his arms and carried her out of the infirmary and only stopped when they had made it to the room in the inn where she had intended to stay. Crichton waited for what seemed like hours, but eventually Aeryn began to come around. Once her eyes were open, she looked around in confusion. He moved to her bedside and offered her a drink of water. "It's alright, you're safe now." He smiled down at her. She took the drink gratefully and after resting a moment longer said softly, "I'm sorry." Now it was his turn to look at her in confusion. "For what?" She looked away from him and spoke in an almost inaudible whisper, "About the baby." Crichton nodded his head in understanding, "It's OK. I would have found out eventually, right?" He offered her one of his infamous smiles. She still couldn't meet his eyes. "No, I'm sorry that I didn't know it was yours. I should have guessed with all the things happening to my body. I should have had the courage to tell you. I'm sorry." Crichton gently lifted her face to look at him and tears began to slowly trickle down her cheeks. He wiped them away with a fingertip. "No, really it's going to be OK. Now you're here with me and everything's going to be fine." He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "I love you John." Aeryn was about to say more but her words were cut short as her body began to convulse and shake violently.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED. 


End file.
